Love is a Promise
by 0swin0swald
Summary: If you hear the voice of a lost loved one calling out to you, you go, no matter what the cost. But if that loved one tells you there's a mysterious man from a place called Gallifrey who can bring him back from the dead, you go for that too. Kiliel and Whouffaldi.
1. One Last Good-Bye

**I came up with this fan fiction shortly after watching the "Desolation of Smaug", so there may be some differences between this and "Battle of the Five Armies", but I had a friend who has seen all three movies read over it.**

**This is based on the Hobbit movies, rather than books, seeing as Tauriel is in it. For those in Middle Earth, it takes place a few months after "Battle of the Five Armies".**

**For the (Twelfth) Doctor, it takes place after Clara leaves, so probably after the season 9 finale.**

**For River, once she comes in, it takes place sometime after "****Angels take Manhattan".**

**This obviously is going to have Whouffaldi (ClaraxTwelve) and Kiliel (KilixTauriel) in it, as it says in the description. Legolas will be nothing more than a friend to Tauriel, and the same goes for River and Twelve.**

**I think that's about it. I hope you like it!**

* * *

_"Tauriel. Tauriel."_

I opened my eyes. That voice wasn't possible. It had to be a dream. Just a dream.

_"Tauriel."_

"Kili," I whispered aloud.

It was his voice. There was no other person, dwarf or otherwise, who could have that voice. Except it wasn't possible.

Because Kili was dead.

I stood up. I wasn't dreaming; this didn't feel like a dream. I could tell now.

I got dressed and packed a bag quickly. Even if this was a dream, it'd probably be worth it to see Kili one last time.

I was almost out of the kingdom when I felt a presence behind me.

I turned around and loaded my bow to find…

"Legolas?"

"Hello, Tauriel."

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"I might ask you the same question."

I sighed. "I have to do something."

"Then I'll go with you."

"No." I turned around and continued walking.

"Tauriel, please. Answer me." I could feel Legolas following me.

I turned around to face him. "I can't."

"…Does it have to do with Kili?"

"Of course not!" I waited a moment before answering to make my lie seem more truthful, "Why would I want anything to do with a dwarf? Especially one who's…dead." The last word came out quiet.

"It does, doesn't it?"

_"Tauriel…Tauriel…"_

"Fine. Yes, yes it does."

"Tauriel, he's…"

"I know. Trust me, I know. But there's a voice in my head. Telling me where to go."

"Tauriel, that's not-"

"Possible, I know. But I promise, it's there."

"Then let me go with you."

"No. I can't put you in danger; your father would never forgive me," I turned away. "He won't forgive me for leaving, let alone taking his son along."

"Please, Tauriel. You can't go alone."

"Yes I can."

"No you can't."

I considered letting Legolas come with me. It wouldn't hurt me, unless Thranduil came after me double. Once for leaving, and once for letting Legolas come with. Although, I could always lie and say he followed me and I didn't know. But Thranduil would punish us both either way. I didn't want to hold myself responsible for getting Legolas in trouble.

Then again, it certainly didn't look like Legolas would be going back.

I turned back to face him. "Fine, you can come," I gave in. "But it's not my fault when your father decides to punish you."

"So where are we going?" He asked.

I turned back around and continued walking. "Follow me."

_…"Tauriel…Tauriel…"_

The voice was getting quieter. I was running out of time. But I could feel that I was getting close.

_"…Tauriel…"_

I was almost to Kili.

I knew that he probably wouldn't be there. But there was a tiny chance he would be. And that was a chance I had to take. Even if I could only talk to him for thirty seconds.

I needed to say good-bye one last time.

"Tauriel, we've been walking for hours," Legolas complained.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was just starting to rise. "You were the one who wanted to come with me."

"I know."

We walked in silence a little while longer.

Then I stopped. I could feel him.

_"…Tauriel, Tauriel…"_

Kili.

He was close.

"What's wrong?" Legolas asked.

I held my finger up. "We're close."

We were on a tall hill covered in trees. I wanted to start running, but I didn't know if Legolas would be able to keep up. I began walking faster.

We came down the side of the hill into an open feild.

And he was there.

Kili.

_Kili._

Legolas stopped. "He really is here."

I started to run, not caring if Legolas kept up or not.

"Tauriel, you came!"

"Of course I came," I smiled sadly.

"…Is that Legolas?"

I glanced behind me. Legolas was standing at a distance. I looked back to Kili, "Yeah. He made me take him with."

Kili looked down. "So how have you been?"

I shrugged. "Okay, I guess. I'm not…_with_…Legolas if that's what you were thinking."

Kili didn't answer.

"How are you even here?"

"Pulled a few strings."

"What?" I asked.

Kili shook his head, "Doesn't matter."

I reached my hand out, "Can I…"

Kili shook his head again. "Sorry, no…I'm not really here, I guess. It was all very complicated."

"How long do we have?"

"Not long," Kili admitted.

I could feel tears building up in my eyes, and I wasn't sure I could hold them back.

I thought saying good-bye one last time would be okay. I thought it would make me feel better. I thought I'd finally admit…

Never mind. But I was wrong.

One last good-bye was not what I needed.

I needed a hello.

"I need you to find someone," Kili said.

"Who?"

"There's a man from a far away place called Gallifrey. He isn't human, but he looks like it. He calls himself the Doctor, and he can help you."

I was confused, "Help me what?"

"If you want, and only if you want, he can help you bring me back."

Of course I wanted that. I had wanted that ever since Kili had died.

"Just the Doctor?" I asked.

Kili nodded. "Will you try to find him?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well…" Kili's voice trailed off, "dwarves and elves aren't usually…friends…"

He said the word 'friend' as if he wasn't quite sure that was the right word. As if it could have been more.

"I don't see why we must listen to that stereotype."

Thranduil would kill me if he knew I said that, and Thorin probably would too if he were alive.

Kili began to fade. "We don't have much time."

"I love you." I couldn't stop myself from saying it. Those words had been lingering in my mind for a while now, and I needed to let them go.

Kili smiled sadly and it was like a punch in the gut to know he was fading away again.

I didn't expect him to say it back, but in the moment before he vanished, Kili said, "I love you too, Tauriel."

And then he was gone.

I wiped away the tears that had started spilling out of my eyes.

Legolas hadn't moved, probably unsure if it was safe to approach me.

I walked slowly over to Legolas. When I reached him, I buried my head in his chest. He didn't say anything, he was just there for me. And that was exactly what I needed.

After a few minutes, Legolas finally spoke. "What did he say?"

I looked up. I could feel tears drying on my face. "He told me to find the Doctor."


	2. Middle and Modern Earth

**Chapter 2-Middle and Modern Earth**

* * *

"The Doctor?" Legolas asked. "Just the Doctor?"

I nodded. "That's what Kili said."

"I think I might know where to find him."

"Really?!" I couldn't hide the excitement in my voice. But how did Legolas know about the Doctor? And would the Doctor even be able to help? Not even Gandalf could bring people back from the dead…could he?

Legolas nodded. "I met him once; the Doctor. He came to Middle Earth once before. He gave me some sort of message-sender, and told me if I ever needed him, I could use it to talk to him somehow."

"Where is it?" I asked. I stepped back and saw that Legolas's shirt was wet from my tear, but he didn't seem to notice. Or he just didn't say anything.

Legolas pulled a rectangular…_something _out of his pocket. "Here."

"What is it?"

"I think he called it a phone."

I'd never heard of a phone before. Maybe it was something they had in Gallifrey? But I didn't see how the 'phone' could send messages. Maybe it was magic?

Legolas pressed a round button on the phone, and it lit up.

"Whoa…"

He slid his finger across the bottom where it said 'slide to unlock'. The light changed to show different shapes. The words were written differently than I had ever seen. Then again, the phone itself was strange.

"What next?" I asked.

"No idea-oh! That says 'phone'!" Legolas touched the phone. It changed again so it said, 'Calling the Doctor'.

"Hello?"

A voice came from the phone. I jumped back in surprise, and Legolas dropped the phone. It landed on the grass with a soft _thump_.

"Who is this?"

Slowly, I bent down and picked up the phone. "My name is Tauriel. Are you the Doctor?"

"Yes…" there was a short pause before, "How did you get this number?"

"You gave this phone to my friend, Legolas, if that's what you mean. Except we have no idea how it works."

"Wait one moment."

The light on the phone changed again, but I couldn't focus on that because a sound I had never heard before filled the field. A big, blue, box of some sort appeared.

I glanced over at Legolas, who looked like he had seen a ghost.

A man who looked human, as Kili had said, stepped out of the box. He had grey hair and wore mostly black.

"Hello," he said, "I'm the Doctor."

I handed Legolas the phone and turned to face the Doctor. "I'm Tauriel. Nice to meet you."

"Hello. Is this Middle Earth, then?"

"Yes. Legolas said he had met you once before…?"

"Yes," the Doctor agreed, "but not when I had this face. Why don't you two come into the TARDIS so we can talk?"

Legolas and I looked at each other before silently agreeing to follow the Doctor into his 'TARDIS'.

If Kili wanted me to ask the Doctor for help, that that's what I would do.

I was going to get Kili back, and that was a promise I didn't plan on breaking.

* * *

**Legolas and Tauriel can read the words on the iPhone easily because of the TARDIS translation system, so it's written in the language they prefer reading, but the words would still look strange because of the font.**

**Also, sorry this is such a short chapter. I wrote it on paper originally and didn't realize how much shorter it was than chapter one.**


	3. Song of Saving

**Chapter 3-Song of Saving**

* * *

The Doctor's TARDIS was bigger on the inside, but that wasn't what I noticed first. It was what the inside looked like that was different.

"What is all this...everything?" I looked around the room and the only thing I could name were the bookshelves filled with books.

"How can you change your face?" Legolas asked, clutching his bow as if he was ready to aim it at the Doctor. I hoped it wouldn't end up that he had to do that.

"So you're not going to point out that it's bigger on the inside?" The Doctor seemed confused.

Legolas shrugged. "I have a friend who fell in love with a dwarf. Nothing surprises me anymore."

I looked down. _'A friend who fell in love with a dwarf.'_ I suppose I can't argue with that.

Both Legolas and the Doctor looked at me. Legolas looked worried, and a little guilty. His grip on his bow loosened now that his attention wasn't focused on the Doctor. I began to wonder what had happened the first time Legolas had met the Doctor.

The Doctor looked confused for a moment before he seemed to realize what Legolas had meant.

"Oh. Is that why you're here?"

I nodded. "Kili, my…uh…"

"Friend," Legolas interrupted.

"Yeah, friend. He said you could help bring him back. Her…er…" my voice got quiet, "…died."

The Doctor looked like he had been punched in the gut. "What?"

"There was a voice in my head…Kili's…he told me to go to this field. He was there, but not really," I explained. "He said you could help."

The Doctor turned away. "Maybe. I'd need help from a friend, though. I've been meaning to try something like that for a while now."

"One more thing," I almost didn't ask, but I knew Kili would want me to, "Kili has a brother, Fili. Could you bring him back too?"

"I'll do my best," the Doctor agreed. "Now, I need to find my friend. Hold on."

"What?" Legolas asked.

The TARDIS began to shake as the Doctor messed with buttons and levers.

"Are we _moving_?" I asked.

"Yeah. Stay in here. I'll be back in a few seconds." The Doctor left the TARDIS

It wasn't long before the Doctor entered the TARDIS again, followed by someone with really curly hair.

She smiled at Legolas and I, "Hello, I'm River Song."

I waved, "I'm Tauriel. That's Legolas. You're the Doctor's friend, then?"

"I used to be a bit more than that. But yeah. We know each other."

"What do you mean _'used to be'_?" Legolas asked.

"Time Lords are different than elves or dwarves or humans," River explained. "When they're about to die, they regenerate. They change their face, personality…feelings for others…"

The Doctor looked down.

"Anyways, he was married to me in his past regeneration. But feelings change, and that's okay."

"So that's how you can change your face," Legolas mused.

"What do you need help with?" River turned to the Doctor.

"You know last time you saw me, in this face that is? I gave you a sonic screwdriver. Do you still have it?"

River nodded and pulled what I assumed was a sonic screwdriver out of her pocket.

"Great. I need to see it."

River handed the sonic screwdriver to the Doctor.

"Right," he turned to Legolas and I, "I know how we're going to get Kili and Fili back."

"How?" I asked. I almost asked him to say _'Fili and Kili'_ instead of _'Kili and Fili'_, but I decided against it.

The Doctor held up River's sonic screwdriver to show green lights on it. "We're going to save them!"


	4. Impossible Love

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

The Doctor smiled. "There's a planet in the 51st century that is one big library. So big, it's just called the Library. And in the Library, there's a data core where you can save people who are no longer alive."

"But what then?" I asked, "Aren't they stuck in the data core?"

"Theoretically, yes. But I've been to the Library before…" he glanced at River with a sad look in his eyes, "and I know how the data core works. It's run by a girl named CAL, and she's done favors for me before."

"You never told me about the Library…" River's voice trailed off. "You told me about almost everything, but you never specifically mentioned the Library."

"Spoilers."

River rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, I don't know if you've changed that much."

"But it might be more difficult to save Fili and Kili to the data core, since they're dwarves. Which is why I needed River. Did I explain to you how the 'saving' thing works?"

"You told me about something like it once."

"Good."

"Um…just, just a question," Legolas spoke up, "what's the 51st century?"

"It's…um…wait, no, that's regular Earth…I have no idea how many years in your future it is."

Regular Earth? The future?

"How are we supposed to get to the future?" I asked.

"The TARDIS is a time machine," River explained, "it can travel…_almost_…anywhere in time and it can also move around. So we can go to the past and future."

"Why 'almost'?"

River and the Doctor looked at each other like they were sharing a heartbreaking secret.

"Sometimes…things happen…and the TARDIS can't land certain places…" River spoke as if what she was talking about was a very sore subject for the Doctor. "But that's okay. We'll be able to get to the Library."

The Doctor nodded. "Right, we're going to move again."

"We need to go to Cardiff," River said suddenly.

Cardiff? What's a Cardiff?

"Why?" The Doctor asked.

"When was the last time you parked the TARDIS on the Rift?"

Rift?

The Doctor shrugged. "Why?"

"Because the TARDIS needs charged up. We'll never make it to the Library."

"Change course to Cardiff, then." The Doctor looked at Legolas and I, "Sorry. But I promise I'll do whatever I can to get your friends back."

"So what happens while we wait?" I asked.

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. You should probably stay in here. Not too sure you'd be that fond of regular Earth. Is there anything you're really wondering about?"

"How long will we be on the Rift?" Legolas asked.

"Um…shouldn't be more than a day…"

A day? I wanted to see Kili again as soon as possible. But according to what River said, we'd never make it to the Library. So I'd just have to wait.

"Where are we going to sleep?" I asked.

The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Bedrooms! River, show Tauriel and Legolas their bedrooms."

Legolas and I followed River down a hallway.

"The TARDIS goes on forever," River explained. "It changes and moves around as well. It can look inside your mind to see what sort of room you would most like."

Legolas stopped. "_What?_"

"I thought nothing surprised you anymore?"

Legolas glared at me. "I thought elves weren't supposed to fall in love with dwarves."

"We aren't."

River didn't say anything. Maybe because she didn't know what to say. Or maybe it was because she used to get in little arguments like that and knew it didn't do any good if they were stopped.

"Well you did anyways," Legolas shot back.

"I know."

Legolas didn't say anything.

"Here are your rooms," River had stopped. "Tauriel, that one's yours. Legolas, that one is yours."

The doors looked just as different as the rest of the TARDIS, but inside, the bedroom looked almost exactly the same as my bedroom back in Mirkwood.

"The Doctor said you were from Middle Earth, but I've never seen anything like this."

"Well, from what I've seen of the TARDIS, Middle Earth is very different."

"Can you find your way back to the room we were in from here?" River asked.

I nodded.

"I'll leave you here, then."

River shut the door behind her on the way out. I looked around the room and something caught my eye.

On top of one of the bookshelves was a framed picture of Kili. It was too realistic to be a painting or drawing. I had never seen anything quite like it before, but the TARDIS was full of things I could never imagine.

I reached up and took the picture down. It looked exactly like Kili, but how was that possible? Maybe it was the TARDIS looking into my mind like River had said.

"Kili," I whispered, "the Doctor's going to help. We're stuck someplace called Cardiff right now, but we're coming. I promise." I put the picture back.

There was a knock on the door. "Tauriel?" It was Legolas.

"Come in."

Legolas came in. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "I really don't like that we have to wait in Cardiff, but there's not much we can do about it."

"I found a weird book in my room," Legolas said suddenly. "It's got a leaf on it."

My eyes flicked up to the picture of Kili. "Can I see?"

Legolas handed me a book with the words '101 Places to See' on the cover. I opened it, and on the inside cover, it said _'Property of Clara Oswald age: 26'_. Above the 26, were other numbers crossed out. The page looked like someone had cried over it years ago.

"Clara Oswald?" I asked.

Legolas shrugged. "But the weird thing is in the back." He flipped through the pages. The last page had incredibly realistic pictures on it, like the one of Kili. Most of the pictures were of either a man in a bow tie or the Doctor. Some also had a girl with brown hair.

"Do you think the girl is Clara?" I asked.

"Probably. But do you see the man in a bow tie?"

"Yeah."

"That was the Doctor I met."

Suddenly, things started making sense.

"…Do you think," I asked, "that this regeneration of the Doctor fell in love with Clara Oswald?"

"And she died," Legolas added, "which is why he looked like he was in pain when you mentioned bringing someone back from the dead."

I glanced down at the book again and noticed a handwritten note.

It said, _'I'm sorry. I'll see you again someday. I promise.'_

* * *

**So this is where the mentions of Whouffaldi start (finally).**

**I'm guessing that Clara would have been about 26 when she died (you'll find out more about her death later) and I'm also guessing that she continued to update her age in '101 Places to See' even after she joined the Doctor.**

**I know Clara's leaf got destroyed in 'Rings of Akhaten', but the Eleveth Doctor gave it back to her in 'Name of the Doctor', so I'm guessing she put it back in the book.**

**The idea for the pictures in the back is based off of a headcanon from Tumblr I believe, though I saw the post on Instagram. **

**The '101 Places to See' book itself appeared in Legolas's room because the TARDIS knew the Doctor needed encouragmemt to try and save Clara as well as Fili and Kili.**


	5. Broken Promises

****Sorry for not posting yesterday. I finally got to see BotFA, and, well, I was emotionally scarred, even though I already knew what happened.****

* * *

With '101 Places to See' in my arms, I made my way back to the main room in the TARDIS. Legolas and I decided it would be best if only one of us approached the Doctor in case our theory was right. Then, Legolas had decided it should be me, because if our theory was right, I would be able to "understand how he was feeling". If Clara Oswald really was human, like she looked, that would mean the Doctor and Clara were different species, just as Kili and I were.

The Doctor was in the main room, but River was nowhere to be seen.

"Do you need something?" He asked.

"Yeah. Legolas found this book in his room," I held out '101 Places to See, "he was wondering if it was yours." The Doctor winced when he saw the book. He took it out of my hands carefully and opened the cover. He brushed his fingers across the words 'Clara Oswald'.

"No, it isn't mine," he admitted. "It belongs to a friend of mine. She's gone now, though."

"What happened?"

I could see the Doctor building up a wall to hide his emotions, like I had to do after Kili died.

"She died." He turned and began to walk away.

I really shouldn't have asked the Doctor anymore questions about Clara, because it obviously hurt him to even think about her. In my defense, it was only one last question.

"Wait," I called, "You and Clara…were you in love?"

I didn't mean for the question to lead to a conversation, but that's what it ended up doing.

The Doctor turned back around so he was facing me. "…Yeah…and don't you dare start talking about age differences because-"

I laughed, "Age difference? Kili's, what, 523 years younger than I am? And that's not even translated to human years. No, I won't complain about an age difference."

"Well there's probably not as much of a visible age difference between you two," the Doctor said quietly.

"No," I admitted, "there's not. But we are a different species, and where we come from, that can cause…issues."

The Doctor smiled, but only for a moment. "Well Clara's human, and I'm not, but that did't cause any problems for us. Although, I'll admit, I do look human, so that probably helped."

I smiled sadly. "I wish elves and dwarves were like that…"

"What are you going to do once we get Kili and Fili-"

"No, sorry, could you call them 'Fili and Kili'?" I asked, "'Kili and Fili' sounds…strange."

The Doctor gave me a questioning look. "Anyways, once we get Fili and Kili back, what will you do? Will they be accepted back?"

I had been ignoring what would happen once we got back to Middle Earth. Fili was supposed to be next in line for king, but would the dwarves accept that? No one could deny that fact that Kili and Fili were, well, dead. Thorin's cousin would have taken over Erebor, if he had survived. Thraduil had never bothered to say what Erebor's fate had been after the war. I never questioned him; I was lucky he even let me come back to Mirkwood at all.

"I don't know."

"I had a friend once who was presumed dead for two years. Turns out, he faked it. _Hashtag not dead_."

"What?"

"My point," the Doctor explained, "is that you could come up with some way Kili and-sorry, Fili and Kili-faked their death."

It didn't sound like such a bad idea…except the other dwarves Fili and Kili were with would never believe me. Faking death just wasn't something that happened in Middle Earth that much. How could you fake your death after getting stabbed in the stomach? And Thranduil had seen Kili's dead body, too.

"Maybe," I agreed hesitantly. "I think we'd have to come up with a way they accidentally faked it, though."

"If only they died in the future. Then, we bring them back to the time period they're supposed to be in, and problem solved."

I was quiet for a moment before I asked another question about Clara. "Doctor…when you said you 'had been meaning to try something like that for a while now'…were you talking about bringing Clara back?"

When I saw the Doctor's facial expression after I asked that question, I almost regretted it.

"Yes. But I was afraid…I already had a second chance…and I failed her."

"What happened?" I asked before I could decide wether or not that question was a good idea.

The Doctor looked down. "We were fighting daleks…and she…I almost got shot by one. But she knew there were too many for me to regenerate. If I would have tried regenerating, another dalek would have shot me in the middle of my regeneration. And that'd be the end. But Clara…she jumped in front of me and saved my life. Again. She's done nothing but save me, and I let her die."

I had no clue what a dalek was. Did it have a bow and arrows to shoot people? Or something else? You could never be sure in the TARDIS.

"Doctor…you're going to be able to get Clara back. I'm going to see Kili again, and you will be able to see Clara again. That's what we're heading to the Library for. We may be stuck in Cardiff for a day, but we'll make it," I was reassuring myself as much as I was trying to comfort the Doctor.

"Someone once told me love is a promise, not an emotion," the Doctor said. "I used those words to fight my arch enemy and best friend. But if love really is a promise, I'm not sure it's one I can keep. I broke my promise with River. I'm afraid I'll end up breaking my promise with Clara too."

"You did _not_ break your promise with River; you regenerated. That can't be helped. I'm sure she'd rather have you different and alive than the same and dead."

"I guess…" the Doctor didn't sound too convinced. "But what if I could keep my promise to River and still be in love with Clara?"

"How would you go about that?" I asked.

"I was thinking…" the Doctor told me his plan to keep his promise.

I was laying on my bed, wide awake even though it was late. I should have been tired, but my conversation with the Doctor was replaying through my head.

_'Love is a promise.'_

I held a rock in my hand. It was smooth and had writing on it. And it was a promise. It symbolized a different kind of love at first, but it had come to stand for my love for Kili. I meant to leave it with Kili. I really did. But I couldn't make myself. I needed to remember Kili somehow, and the promise was all I had.

_'Promise.'_

My door opened a little bit. "Tauriel, are awake?" Legolas whispered.

"Yeah."

I had already told Legolas about my conversation with the Doctor, and the Doctor's plan to keep his promises that he had broke.

"You should be sleeping. You were up early to find Kili this morning."

Was that really just this morning? It seemed like days since I had woken up with Kili's voice in my head.

"I don't see you sleeping," I replied, "you were up just as early."

Legolas didn't try to argue with that. "Do you think we'll really be able to get Fili, Kili, and Clara back?" Legolas's uneasiness caught me off guard.

"I have to trust the Doctor. Otherwise I'll spend my time in the TARDIS worried until I'm sick. I might as well enjoy it as much as possible."

"If love really is a promise," Legolas said carefully, "then how can you be sure you'll be able to keep it?"

"I'm not sure, I guess," I admitted. "I have to trust myself. I made a promise I'd do whatever it took to get Kili back. I'll wait in Cardiff for more than a day if it'll end with me seeing Kili again."

"Promises are tricky things, Tauriel," Legolas warned.

"I know. But I can't give up on Kili. I'll go to the Library, even if it's without you."

"No, I'm staying. I can't let you go that far away alone."

"You couldn't even let me go to Lake Town alone," I teased.

"Well I can't let you run to your death alone," Legolas defended himself.

I smiled. "You should try to sleep."

"You should too."

"Fine."

Legolas left.

I turned on my side and shut my eyes. Tomorrow, we would be on our way to the Library. I'd see Kili again. Maybe broken promises could be unbroken.

It took some time, but I finally drifted into a half-sleep.

* * *

**Yes, that was a Sherlock reference with the 'friend who was presumed dead for two years' quote. Wholock is definitely canon.**

**Clara's death by dalek was completely, 100% made up, and is in no way canon. So don't freak out.**

**I'm going to go update Day of the Doctor Rewrite next, so stay tuned for that.**


	6. Nightmare Dressed Like a Daydream

**Chapter Five-Nightmare Dressed Like a Daydream**

* * *

I woke up in Mirkwood.

_How_ was I in Mirkwood?

I could tell I wasn't in the TARDIS because the almost silent hum of the TARDIS was gone. A human may not have noticed, but my elf ears did.

The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in the TARDIS. Was it possible the whole thing was a dream? No, it _couldn't_ have been…could it? The only way to be sure was to find Legolas.

It didn't take long to find him. "Legolas," I called.

"Tauriel. Hello." He walked over to me.

"Do you remember the TARDIS and the Doctor and River?" I asked desperately.

Legolas looked confused. "What's a TARDIS? What doctor? Which river?"

_No. No, no, no, no, no._ It couldn't have been a dream.

_No._ I was going to see Kili again. The Doctor was going to keep his promises. We were so close!

"No," I muttered, blinking back tears, "It couldn't have been…"

"What's wrong, Tauriel?" Legolas asked.

"We were going to get Fili and Kili back…"

"…Fili and Kili are dead."

I nodded. "But Kili…he…and the Doctor…" I looked up at Legolas miserably, "It was all a dream, wasn't it?"

"I'm afraid so."

I needed to cry. I should have known, I should have known. Legolas stepped closer and hugged me.

I couldn't hold the tears back anymore.

\\-/-\\-/-\\-/-\\-/-\\-/-\\-/-\\-/-\\-/-\\-/-\\-/-\\-/-\\-/

I woke up in my bed. I listened for the hum of the TARDIS.

It was there.

"It _is_ real!" I exclaimed quietly.

My face was wet from crying while asleep. I wiped the tears away and left my room. Legolas was still sleeping, and I didn't want to risk the main room on my own.

I went back into my room, got dressed, and took the picture of Kili down again. Today, we'd leave for the Library. It had been easy so far, which only fed my fear that something would go terribly wrong.

The Library seemed safe enough, but so was Lake-Town without Smaug.

I put the picture of Kili back.

This time when I passed Legolas's room, he was awake.

"Good morning," I called from my spot outside the door.

"Good morning. How long until we can get to the Library?"

I shrugged. "I just woke up. It should not be too long."

Legolas joined me at the doorway. "We might as well go and ask the Doctor."

We walked to the main room. The Doctor and River were arguing in hushed voices. They weren't speaking in a language I couldn't understand, which was strange, because the Doctor had said that the TARDIS would translate languages for us. Which meant that Legolas and I could speak Elfish, while River and the Doctor spoke their native language…whatever that was.

River glanced up and saw us. "Good morning."

After a quick breakfast, the TARDIS was ready to move again. We made it to the Library without any problems.

When Legolas and I stepped out of the TARDIS, I stopped. We were surrounded by bookshelves filled with more books than I could count and tables and chairs we scattered in the center of the room. Light shone in the windows from the setting sun.

"Legolas and Tauriel, you two can look around, but don't leave this room," the Doctor instructed. "River and I are going down to the data core with the TARDIS. We'll hook it up and save Fili, Kili, and Clara. River will find you after that." The Doctor didn't mention anything about saving his past regeneration to the data core like he had planned. Maybe he just hadn't told River yet.

River and the Doctor stepped back into the TARDIS and we watched it disappear.

"What kind of books do you think they have here?"

"No idea."

I felt uneasy about the Library, even with my bow and arrows. The Doctor wasn't going to let us take them in, but River managed to convince him since we arrived after the Library was closed. I had two knives as well, but there was still something about the Library that made me feel…uneasy.

"Tauriel…" Legolas's voice trailed away.

I tensed. Something was about to happen. An attack.

How were two elves from Middle Earth supposed to defend themselves against something from the 51st century-whatever the 51st century was?

"Can you feel it too?" Even with elf hearing, I could barely hear Legolas.

I nodded slowly. I was ready to pull out a knife if I needed to, but I didn't want to make any unnecessary sudden movements.

Facing Orcs was nothing compared to the fear building in my stomach now. In fact, I'd _much_ rather be facing Orcs.

But I had made a promise to get Kili back, and I would fight whatever the Library threw at us.

Even if it meant dying.

A figure moved in the shadows.

* * *

**Yes, the first half of the chapter was a dream. You can stop freaking out now.**

**Also, when River and the Doctor are talking in a language that Tauriel can't understand, they're talking in Gallifreyan. Rivercan write and read Gallifreyan, so I assume she can speak it. And all of the sticky note reminders and other writing in Gallifreyan around the TARDIS don't get translated to English, so I'm guessing the TARDIS doesn't translate Gallifreyan.**

**Welp, now I'm off to finish writing the next chapter of Day of the Doctor Rewrite.**


	7. An Unhappy Ending

**Chapter 7-An Unhappy Ending**

* * *

A young girl, only about seven, stepped out of the shadows.

I didn't loosen my grip on my knife. "Who are you?"

"I am the interface of the data core. My name is CAL."

"The Doctor and River are supposed to be saving Fili, Kili, and Clara to the data core," Legolas said.

"They cannot, I'm afraid," CAL's tone was apologetic. "My systems have shut down."

"Why?" I still didn't trust CAL. If they couldn't save anyone, where were the Doctor and River?

"River Song's time line is tricky. She has already been saved to the data core, but she's also here; alive and well. The data core can't handle paradoxes and has shut down," CAL explained.

"So where are the Doctor and River?" Legolas challenged.

"The Library itself is shutting down." I was afraid of what CAL would say next.

"The Doctor and River are trapped. With the TARDIS hooked up to the data core, it can't fly."

Suddenly, I felt like someone had dropped a whole stack of armor on me.

There would be no getting Kili back. I would never see Kili again. The Doctor would never fulfill his promises.

Love is a promise that's impossible to keep.

"Tauriel?!" Legolas dropped the knife he had and rushed over to my side. I fell into his arms.

"Tauriel, what's wrong?!"

"I wish the dream was real," I muttered bitterly. That would be less painful than the truth.

If the dream had been real, I would have known there was no way to get Kili back. But with this awful truth, I would have to live the rest of my life knowing I almost had Kili, however long the rest of my life was.

I would rather have had CAL be a horrible monster Legolas and I could never defeat than a seemingly sweet human girl. Sure, Legolas and I would probably die. But if we were dead, maybe we could be saved to the data core too.

Instead, we got stuck with a truth that made me want to give up.

"What dream?" Legolas asked.

"Doesn't matter."

I had built my emotional wall up twice as strong as before, but tears were still threatening to break through. It had to be okay to cry sometimes, right? Maybe tomorrow, I would feel better, whatever tomorrow held.

I had taught myself to not cry, but it wasn't doing much good now.

I slipped out of Legolas's loose grip and onto the floor. I dropped the knife in my hand. I felt as if I were drowning in sadness. I put my head in my hands and began to cry.

Legolas sat beside me, not daring to say anything. CAL looked worried from what I saw through my tears, but she didn't move.

I don't know how long it was before the tears finally stopped. Sometime while I was crying, Legolas had put his arm around me.

"I'm sorry." He didn't say "How do you feel" or "Are you okay", and I was grateful for that. Legolas was my best friend and basically my brother. He understood.

I wrapped my arms around him wordlessly. It was an awkward hug since we were both sitting on the floor.

CAL slowly stepped over to us. "They were trying to save two dwarves, one human, and one Time Lord when my systems broke down. The only name I remember is Kili. Do you know him?"

I think I winced when she said 'Kili'. "Yes," was the only word I could get out. I was sure if I spoke anymore the tears would come back. I didn't want tears. I wasn't dependent on Kili to be my prince and save me when my heart got broken. I wanted Kili to be the stupidly reckless, cute, dwarf he was, and I wanted him to be _alive_.

Somehow, I made myself stand up and walk to a chair. I wan't quite sure how it was considered a chair, but I sat down anyways. It was soft and seemed to be filled with cotton or something. It didn't have a strict shape like the chairs in Middle Earth, but I was okay with that. Actually, the chair felt more like a bed than a chair.

"What now?" Legolas directed the question at CAL, probably assuming I wouldn't be able to talk well. I couldn't have answered the question anyways.

"In order to get my systems working again, River must leave the Library."

"But your systems shut down, so River can't leave," Legolas pointed out.

"That is correct."

"So we're stuck here forever then?" Legolas asked.

"Unless we can override my systems, then yes," CAL agreed. "If we could somehow override the systems, we could free the TARDIS. The Doctor could drop River back home and then he could save Fili, Kili, Clara, and his past self easily."

I could understand less that half of what CAL was saying. There was no way Legolas and I could help CAL 'override the system' when we didn't even know how to work a phone.

My mind was too clouded to realize that I could have solved our problem with that thought. It's hard to think straight when you loose someone you love twice. Even though the Doctor and River were never actually able to save Kili, it felt like loosing him again.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Legolas asked.

CAL shrugged. "I think a sonic screwdriver might do the job, but-"

"Sonic screwdriver? River has a sonic screwdriver!" Legolas exclaimed. "If only we could talk to them somehow…"

"The phone," I made my voice work, though it cracked when I spoke, "Legolas, where's the phone?"

Legolas pulled the phone out of his pocket.

So now we could contact the Doctor and River, but until River left, no one could be saved to the data core.

The Library was getting dark, and the darkness was different. It felt as if it had once held something terrifying, but not anymore.

It would hardly be lunchtime if we were in Cardiff still, but I was growing tired. The early darkness tricked my mind and the crying had worn my body out. I tried to stay awake while Legolas made the phone call, but I couldn't.

I shut my eyes and was overcome by sleep.

* * *

**It's not over! Don't worry! I can't write something this heartbreaking and end it like that. I'd end up crying while writing it. Actually, I think I almost started crying while writing this chapter.**

**Also, sorry for not updating yesterday :/**


	8. Paradoxes and Promises

**Chapter 8: Paradoxes and Promises**

I wanted to sleep forever. Kili wouldn't be coming back, we were trapped in the Library, and I'd never get back to Middle Earth. Forget about Thranduil's punishment, we didn't even have any food.

I slowly forced my eyes open. Legolas was sitting in a chair, the phone on the table next to him. CAL was reading a book.

I stood up and walked over to Legolas. The Library was still filled with the creeping darkness.

"Did you talk to River and the Doctor?"

"CAL did most of the talking," Legolas confessed, "she told them what to do. They're working on 'overriding the system' right now. …How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "Better, I suppose." There was still an aching pain embedded in me, like a knife in the stomach, but it was fading.

"Legolas! Tauriel!" River and the Doctor entered the room we were in. It may have been my imagination, but the Doctor seemed wary of the darkness as well.

"You did it!" CAL grinned. I smiled for a moment, despite the ache inside of me.

I met the Doctor's eyes. You may not have been able to tell from his body language, but his eyes revealed he was as broken as I was.

CAL set her book down and walked over to us. "Hello, Doctor."

"Hi." There was no happiness in the Doctor's voice.

"How are we going to leave if the TARDIS won't work?" Legolas asked.

River spoke up. "If I remember correctly, CAL said that only I had to leave in order for Fili, Kili, and Clara to be saved to the data core."

"We still have no way for you to leave," Legolas pointed out.

No one spoke for a bit.

"Remember when you tried to send Donna to the TARDIS the first time you came here?" CAL finally asked the Doctor.

The Doctor winced. "Yes. Do the transporters work now?"

CAL nodded. "That's how people come and go from the Library every day."

"But everything is shut down," River added, "if I remember correctly, Donna was saved to the data core when the transporter was down."

"If River gets saved to the data core now, the Library will probably explode."

CAL didn't seem too fond of the Library exploding. "No, I think the transporters are working. I can feel it."

River and the Doctor looked at each other uneasily.

"I'll do it," River agreed.

The Doctor looked as if he wanted to argue, but didn't say anything.

"I'll take River to the transporters," CAL volunteered.

No one said anything as River stood and followed CAL away.

The Doctor picked a book and opened it, but I had a sneaking suspicion he wasn't actually reading.

Legolas seemed to be examine one of his arrows. He seemed unsure of what to do. Then again, he was with an elf and Time Lord who'd had their hopes and dreams crushed.

The Doctor put his book down and began to pace.

The short amount of time it took waiting for River to leave felt much longer when it was possible we'd end up dead.

I thought I felt a slight tremor run through the Library. The Doctor stopped pacing, and Legolas looked up. Did the tremor mean we were going to live? Or were we doomed to death now?

A light flickered on. Then another.

A short time later, CAL returned. "So, I think we have two dwarves, a human, and a Time Lord to save?"

I smiled. We could still save Kili! The Doctor could still keep his promises.

Maybe the promise of love wasn't impossible to keep after all.

Legolas placed his arrow back in his quiver and walked over to me. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Despite my excitement, I was still scared. There was still room for something to go wrong again.

"You two," the Doctor pointed at Legolas and I, "are coming with me this time."

I noticed that CAL had seemed to disappear. "Where's CAL?"

"In the data core again, waiting," the Doctor replied.

With the Library now lit up, it wasn't as creepy as it was in the dark. We made it to the data core without any problems. The TARDIS was there already, hopefully ready to save Fili, Kili, Clara, and the Doctor's past regeneration.

Legolas and I watched the Doctor examine the TARDIS and data core. I had no idea what he was doing, but I figured I would soon be able to see Kili again.

Finally, the Doctor finished. "Done! Now we save them."

I held my breath as the first person—the Doctor's past regeneration—was saved.

I felt Legolas's hand wrap around mine reassuringly. Everything would be okay.

Fili was saved next, then Kili and Clara.

I hardly dared to breathe the whole time.

* * *

**See, everything's okay! Until we get to Clara in the data core next week.**

**I mean what?**

**Anyways, I have to go finish writing the epilogue of Day of the Doctor Rewrite now.**


End file.
